Matt Mickiewicz
This week, Jason interviewed Matt Mickiewicz who previously launched Sitepoint, 99designs and Flippa. Matt started developing websites at the ripe old age of fifteen back in the mid 1990s.

During the show, Matt helped Jason evaluate entrepreneur ideas during the “Ask Jason” segment. This part of the show is my absolute favorite, since we get to hear from fellow entrepreneurs and we get to hear off-the-cuff advice from seasoned entrepreneurs.

This week the Ask Jason segment was morphed into a Shark Tank like entrepreneur pitch segment. Each of the contestants pitched their startup for two minutes and then Jason and Matt discussed the idea, gave feedback on the pitch and then discussed potentially investing in the startup. Since this was a new segment, I’m not sure if the two contestants were quite ready to pitch, or perhaps their pitches weren’t polished yet, but I certainly learned more about pitching an idea.

Did I Mention Mahalo?
As the show progressed, I began to wish that I was playing a drinking game. I noticed that Jason had mentioned his own startup, Mahalo, several times. So, I started the podcast over and began counting the number of times I heard Jason say “Mahalo”.

Jason is famously known for not using PR companies. He believes that you can do the work yourself. After listening to the entire show, I can tell you that my liver is thankful that I didn’t take a chug every time Jason said “Mahalo”. In the 2 hour and 25 minute show, Jason said “Mahalo” 41 times. On average, that’s once about every 3.5 minutes or 17.5 MPH (Mahalos per Hour).

(mentions by each 20 minute block of the show)

Final Score
I give this episode, a solid 4 out 5.  If Jason took more questions and we got more “Insights from Tyler”, it would have been a 4.5.

Update:
During the next TWiST expisode, Episode #14, Jason mentioned Mahalo only four times during the 1 hour show. At 4 MPH, no one playing the Mahalo drinking game this time even caught a buzz…

Although not mentioned by Jason in any TWIST podcast, Arque Advisors provides custom advise for high net worth investors. These types of investors are often Angel investors.

Updated: 9/15/2009 (Added Appolicious & FanHistory)
Updated: 9/29/2009 (Added Inadco)
Updated: 10/30/2009 (Added GiveForward)
Updated: 2/26/2010 (Added WinkVid & tgethr)

Startup	Description
37signals	We build easy to use web-based products with elegant interfaces and thoughtful features. We’re focused on executing on the basics beautifully.
Appolicious	Appolicious is the place to discover iPhone and other mobile applications that make the most sense for you. – new
AudioSnacks	AudioSnacks.com is a place to find, purchase and download audio tours that people just like you have created to share, and a place where you can do the same for others.
Buqoo
CallPod	Callpod is a creator of innovative mobile devices and software. We produce award-winning power products, wireless headsets, mobile conferencing systems and mobile software applications for professionals.
Cameesa	Crowdfunding Fashion: financially supporting your favorite designs to be printed on T-shirts.
Cappex	Cappex.com helps students find their college match. Through tools like the Cappex profile, private college message center and “What Are My Chances?” Calculator, Cappex helps students learn about college opportunities they may have otherwise missed.
Cleversafe	Cleversafe enables the world to confidently and cost-effectively store and distribute limitless amounts of data.
CohesiveFT	Cohesive FT provides onboarding solutions for virtual and cloud computing infrastructures
CollegePeaks
CouponTweet	CouponTweet searches Twitter for the best deals and discounts, so you don’t have to. You can use CouponTweet to find the best discounts on everything from clothing to electronics on twitter.
CraftedFun	Crafted Fun is focused on creating online game-play experiences that mimic the social excitement of board games, but in a new form. We’re not reproducing board games in an online environment; we’re creating a new type of online entertainment that combines the best of both experiences.
CrowdSpring	crowdSPRING is a little company with big dreams based in Chicago – one of the greatest cities in the world. Founded by Ross Kimbarovsky and Mike Samson, crowdSPRING was started to help people from around the world access creative talent, and to help creatives from across the globe find new customers.
Dawdle	Dawdle is the gamer’s online marketplace – we make it as easy as possible to buy and sell all of your games, systems, and accessories online. We’re built from the ground up for gaming, with a 100% guarantee on all of your transactions.
EarthComber	Earthcomber provides free software, maps, and info, and also sells some name-brand mobile guides.
EveryBlock	We aim to collect all of the news and civic goings-on that have happened recently in your city, and make it simple for you to keep track of news in particular areas. We’re a geographic filter “a news feed” for your neighborhood, or, yes, even your block.
eWoFF	eWoFF is a quiet place to stay connected with the people you care about. Here you won’t be bothered by the noise of people you don’t know.
fyindout	FYIndOut is the central place for professionals to find and promote business applications and services.
FanHistory	Fan History is a fan run wiki that anyone can edit! It’s dedicated to documenting the history of fandom. – new
Fave	Fave is building an internet community to help local businesses successfully promote themselves
Groupon	Groupon is a deal a day site for Chicago. We find the unbeatable deals on fun stuff to do and buy in and around Chicago.
GiveForward	With GiveForward, you can create a personal fundraising page for ANY person, cause or non-profit you care about and then easily collect donations from friends and family all over the world. – new
GrubHub	Web site for users to find out who delivers to their exact addresses. When users type in their address on GrubHub.com, the site displays all of the restaurants that deliver to that location, with the appropriate hours for delivery, full menus, available coupons, reviews and star ratings.
Humanized	The company is dedicated to the belief that good interfaces make computers more pleasant and productive for the people who use them.
Inadco	nadco is a platform for Cost-Per-Lead advertising. Inadco enables advertisers of all kinds to buy media on a Cost-Per-Lead basis. – new
Inkling	Inkling is a Chicago-based company that helps organizations and individuals tap into the collective wisdom of their employees, peers, and customers to improve forecasting processes, predict key corporate metrics, identify promising future innovations, and forge new communication and collaboration channels.
Job Coin	a service for employers to post jobs and reach millions of passive job seekers by targeting them on the websites they already visit and for website publishers to earn revenue by easily including relevant job listings on their site.
Kirix	We think data should be a lot easier to use. In fact, we believe that working with data should actually be an enjoyable experience. So, to that end, we’ve developed a data browser that attempts to combat the issues surrounding data usability.
LifeShadow	a venture-funded startup located near Chicago, IL. Composed of a team of technology industry veterans, including the Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer of InstallShield Software Corporation, we’re currently operating in stealth mode and developing products for the consumer market.
LifeSnapz	LifeSnapz is a free, easy and secure way for people to record and organize important events, milestones and memories in their lives.
Mediafly	Mediafly is your source for video and audio personalized channels including podcasts and more… delivered to virtually any media-enabled device.
Menuism	Menuism is the social network for people who love to visit restaurants. Interact with local foodies over plate-by-plate reviews and pictures.
Metroproper
Mpayy	Mpayy was created specifically to meet the unique payment needs of Internet and Mobile commerce.
Naymz	Our innovative professional networking platform allows people to find and discover new connections, opportunities, ideas, and information based on their backgrounds and reputations.
Newser	Newser is an online news service that adds human intelligence to machine-driven aggregation. We search for the best stories all over the web, read them, and deliver succinct, sharply written summaries in a grid format that features photos, video and audio, and links to the original source.
NextPoint	NextPoint enables corporations and law firms to increase litigation performance while reducing costs
ParkWhiz	We help people park their cars quickly and efficiently by providing them with the tools to make an informed decision. Instead of driving around to find parking, you can use ParkWhiz to get the best parking to suit your needs.
PeerSight	PeerSight brings ambitious entrepreneurs together – 8 at a time in peer advisory boards that deliver real world results.
PeopleFilter	PeopleFilter is a web-based Applicant Tracking and Hiring Optimization solution that allows for rapid identification and ranking of the most qualified candidates based on employer-defined job descriptions.
PerkSpot	PerkSpot manages employee discount programs on behalf of leading employers. Our expertise in employee benefits, rewards, marketing, insurance, and technology allows us to create a customized and complete turn-key solution for our clients.
Planypus	Planypus Platform is an embedded event wiki for your website. Turn your static site into an interactive destination for socialization around events. Let your users invite their friends to talk about events and attract more users who visit more often, stay on site longer, and develop brand loyalty.
Prepme	PrepMe is a premium test preparation company dedicated to bringing high-quality, customized learning to students across the world. We make customized test preparation affordable and accessible while providing highly impactful results and learning for our students and their families.
PriceAdvance	PriceAdvance provides an easy way to compare prices while you shop, with the most accurate product matches.Â
Restaurant	Restaurant.com connects restaurant seekers and food lovers to savings at more than 9,000 restaurants nationwide and to various online retailers.
ShopLocal	Our smart online strategies customize and mobilize your local messages for strategic placement anywhere on the Web to drive online and in-store sales.
SitterCity	Helps connect parents with caregivers in their area to give each side what they want – some time off for adults-only activities and access to a multitude of child and pet care jobs.
Songza	Songza provides an easy way to search for, stream and share any song. For free. To help keep your music fresh and portable, you can add any songs to your Songza playlist, which you can access from any computer, any time when you Join Songza.
SwapSimple	By eliminating the need to buy and sell, SwapSimple.com’s exchange solution gives its users a modern, effective, and lower cost alternative to purchasing the used textbooks, general literature, DVDs, and video games they desire.
Tappity	Tappity is a user driven site where you discover, rate, and suggest mobile-friendly web pages for viewing on phones and PDAs.
Text 2 Store	No need to print or cut out coupons, get free coupons to your cell phone!
TextHog	Texthog is a really simple way to track expenses and create expense reports online. When you create an account, you’re given a unique texthog email address to use for posting transactions on the go. By adding this address as a contact in your cell phone, you can send text messages or emails with expenses directly to your account.
tgethr	An easy collaboration tool for your group. Tgethr is the best way to communicate with your small group. Share files, track conversations, manage your group like a champ. – new
ThePoint	The Point lets anyone start a campaign asking people to give money or do something as a group, but only if the campaign hits a predetermined tipping point.
Think or Swim	thinkorswim offers online brokerage, investor education and related financial products and services for self-directed investors and active traders.
Time Xchange	timeXchange simplifies the way people collaborate to do time reporting. Each member of a project team has his or her own account which is identified by a unique email address.
txtful	Txtful allows you to use any messaging option available on your mobile phone (e-mail, IM, text, tweet) to run preset actions on the web. You can create shortcuts for the stuff you do most often, and you’ve got the power to trigger even the most complex functions anytime, no matter where you are.
uSphere	Our system does more for students than just help them find the right colleges and universities for them — we help get their application in front of those schools. Great schools with great programs that want the right type of student on campus
U Want Savings	We buy perfectly new and unharmed overstocked items at an unspeakably low price. Then, we offer them to you at a much lower price than any store would ever dare.
Viewpoints	Viewpoints Network is a social media company focused on helping consumers make smarter decisions. We specialize in building communities and motivating “social influencers” to share their experiences by writing reviews, blog posts, how to guides and participating in forums.
Web Vet	An interactive and comprehensive “whole-pet” platform that addresses both the physical and emotional needs of pets.
Where Ive Been	Where I’ve Been, providers a popular travel application which has become a profile must on Facebook, Bebo, hi5, Friendster, and MySpace, with over 4.5 million users worldwide.
WinkVid	WinkVid is the newest way to meet nearby singles through safe, authentic and fun online speed-dating. – new
Zaplee	Zaplee enables small to medium sized businesses implement call centers without the need for expensive software, services, and infrastructure.

If you know of any startups I’ve missed, drop me a note.

If you are in front of a movie poster with a Microsoft Tag, you can place your phone in front of the tag and receive a trailer on your device. See an ad for a restaurant, no need to write down the URL, just scan with your phone and have the restaurant’s address and map come up on your phone.

The tags are colorful and look a little 80’s retro. This tag is linked to my Twitter profile.

Microsoft allows anyone to create tags of their own using their online tools. Once a tag is created, the linked digital content can be altered to fit with times. Scan the tag to receive the latest promotion. Tags can also be configured to expire.

The client software for mobile phones is available for a variety of platforms including the iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile. (http://gettag.mobi) For the iPhone, the app can be downloaded from iTunes.

Learn more: http://microsoft.com/tag

I am an explorer, just like you.
If you are reading this, you are probably someone that is searching for a piece of knowledge, seeking an answer to a question or looking to connect with people who share a passion for the web and all that it can bring. Like you, I seek out information and people to connect with that can aid all of us in our journey to make our websites the best they can be.

What you can expect.
I strive to provide honest commentary and information that will help you to identify opportunities to efficiently move your own website forward in ways to meet ‘your’ objectives. I cover a wide range of topics related to website design, development, management and promotion.

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Let our journey continue…